Belonging
by chloemcg
Summary: One-shot/slight Junipollo. Apollo is coming home from Kh'urain to piece his life together as well as visit the Wright anything agency gang. But all the while he constantly wonders where he belongs. Does he belong as a lawyer in Khu'rain with his foster brother and friends or as a lawyer working alongside his former mentor and Athena and Trucy in Los Angeles? Only he can decide.


**Disclaimer: I would NEVER own the characters of Ace attorney, they belong to Capcom, and I apologize for the spoilers for AA 6 in this fic.**

 **Belonging.**

* * *

He was finally coming home.

Home where he belonged.

...Or where he thought he belonged.

Apollo Justice, ace attorney and protégé of the famous lawyer Phoenix Wright, had never felt so happy as he was right now. He could hardly believe that this was actually happening because this day had felt like it was so far away. It was the day when he would return from the kingdom of Khura'in after staying behind to fix the legal system over there once the wicked queen, Ga'ran, had been dethroned through and after years of pain, heartache, sweat, tears, legal bluffing, finding legal loopholes, and a couple decades of unfaltering defiance.

The spiky-fringed lawyer sat on the seat of the airplane with his arms stuffed with a big red suitcase overflowing with souvenirs and basic items of need like clothes, some jammies, a toothbrush, a hair comb, stuff like that. He had everything he needed to see his old mentor, Phoenix Wright, and everybody else at the Wright anything agency.

Apollo reclined in his seat, sinking into the plush material that he sat on, rested his head up against the window next to him and turned his head to gaze outside with warm brown pools growing nostalgic as he started watching the clouds and blue whirl by before his eyes as the plane soared through the Sky on its way towards the place he used to live. The occasional bit of turbulence rattled the seats and caused the young lawyer to bounce in his chair up and down.

If he closed his eyes he could even picture it, still being the old broken-down apartment that brought on such a warm and pleasant aura to him. It brought back memories of many investigations, times of fun and laughter, times of sadness and hardships, times of being...a family. But even though he was looking forwards to returning to the US, saying "see you later" to Khura'in wasn't an easy or fun task either.

His eyes drifted closed as he started to remember the promises he had made before starting his journey back to America.

* * *

 _Apollo closed his eyes relaxedly, almost in a meditative state as he looked over the breath-taking mountaintop view in the far horizon and inhaled the rich fresh outdoors air as the warmth of the morning sun washed over him like waves lapping over a sandy beach shore. The red clad lawyer took in the fresh scent of chai and incense as the free-flowing Khura'inese air hit him like a train as he closed his eyes and let out a small breath of blessed relief._

 _He took in everything._

 _The sweet songs chirped by the birds (which was also occasionally broken off by the rather unpleasant but distinctive roar of a Warbaa'd), the beautiful cherry blossom trees abloom, the peaceful and historic energies that flowed through the earth and air around him, the sounds of the gentle flowing water of the rivers and the scent which combined with the distant sounds of a ringing pray bell._

 _This was the first time he had the chance to properly exhale in ages since he had been the only attorney in Khura'in for awhile -until others had joined in the revolution and decided to take up being lawyers too. For Apollo, life in Khura'in had been hectic but he was sure that when he came back to the U.S. then he'd be able to settle in and relax. Of course, he still had his very own law agency here and he couldn't just up and leave that behind forever but he was desperate for some time to go back to where he felt needed._

 _He needed to go home to America, even if for just a while._

 _Apollo was startled when he heard footsteps coming from behind him, his previously eased and relaxed shoulders jerked into an upwards motion and he quickly looked over his shoulder to get a look at the person whom had approached from behind him. His posture relaxed when he saw that the mysterious intruder was his foster brother and international prosecutor, Nahyuta Sahdmadhi._

 _Despite growing up with the pale lavender-hair-in-a-plat young man, Apollo had never been able to read his expression and so had never been able to tell what he was feeling, even with his talent for spotting the tiniest nervous tics with his very observant vision; that was one thing that hadn't changed despite the many years that passed since they'd last seen one another._

 _Nahyuta didn't say anything and just silently walked up to the usually loud attorney-at-law and sat down beside him. The duo just sat on the hilltop in silence whilst both overlooking the beautiful dawn. The sun was rising in the distance, the skies were mixed with a pale cerulean blue and a pinky-peach colour. It made for a spectacular view._

 _Moments passed into minutes of silence before the eldest of the two men started to speak._

 _"So...you are honestly thinking about leaving Khura'in?"_

 _Apollo didn't look at the platinum-haired braided young man seated beside him, his perceptive eyes were fixed on the view right in front of him. He didn't nod nor shake his head in response but he did seem to ponder on his answer for a minute before finally replying to the question that was asked._

 _"Yes. I have to sort my own head out."_

 _Nahyuta simply nodded in acceptance. He agreed that Apollo should go and sort himself out and probably collect items of value so he could bring them over, he supposed that despite being here a year that everything was still a little big for him to handle and to take in properly. Heck, they had been so busy that they hardly had the time to breathe properly and have a leisurely conversation until now...they hadn't even had the time to properly grieve over their father, Dhurke._

 _Apollo's eyes suddenly started to water and he bit his bottom lip. His chest felt as though it was tightening and this volcanic magma of emotion was bubbling up and churning inside of him. His shoulders tensed up and his posture hardened like an iron shell, his fists clenched as he gripped at his own knees. He bowed his head to hide his tears._

 _"N-Nahyuta...do you think...think Dh-Dhurke would've...well..." He trailed off, unable to fight back against the tears that welled up in his eyes. He lowered his head and his scruffed wire-like brows drooped to paint a sorrowful expression on his face. He realised that he shouldn't have been making such a sad face but, as far as he was concerned, he hardly cared about that right now._

 _Nahyuta knew what Apollo was trying to say, even though his unshed tears and soft whimpers and sobs made things tricky for his words to be completely comprehensible. He closed his eyes and, like his thorn-haired foster brother in red, bowed his head in remorse and he pursed his lips which were tight to force them in a straight line instead of a pitiful frown._

 _"Indeed. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that father would have been so proud with how far we've come together and what we have accomplished together. Despite the differences we've had."_

 _Apollo couldn't hold back a tiny heartfelt smile, albeit a teary one, and he let out a quiet chuckle as he raised his arm and rubbed away at his eyes to mop up the tears that lingered at the corners of his eyes. He hadn't meant to cry like that, yet he supposed that he always was a bit of a cry baby._ _The two then sat in quiet once again, neither of them daring to shatter the moment of silence that they both relished in._

 _They just stared at the sun that was slowly rising, painting the skies in a glorious blue hue._

 _Nahyuta broke the silence again, continuing his conversation from before._

 _"...Besides, recall what he always told us."_

 _Apollo nodded, pulling his own clenched fist back to his chest and pressing it right up against the very center of it. His eyes sparked with this teary-eyed determination and he couldn't keep a small wry smirk off of his lips as he and Nahyuta (whom mimicked Apollo's exact movements) recited the old saying that they were raised upon._

 _"A dragon never yields."_

 _Nahyuta smiled at Apollo, his teal eyes drifting sideways so he could send his brother a calm and collected sideways glance. The platinum-haired prosecutor reached over and gently patted his brother's shoulder and started to speak whilst returning his line of sight to the magical view right in front of them._

 _"Apollo...you have grown so much since the both of us were boys. This makes me recall the day whence our father had brought you home, you were crying so loud that Dhurke had to hold you at a distance because you would not cease hollering in his ear. It was only after I, a mere two-year-old at the time, offered to take you in my arms and I had to sing to you until you were silent."_

 _Apollo looked at Nahyuta, his eyes wide with amazement. He knew that his adoptive brother basically had the memory of an elephant and was very astute when it came to learning new things but he had no clue that he could remember that far ahead. Seriously, the spiky-banged lawyer had to refrain from slapping his own forehead incredulously. "How in the love of everything could you even remember that far ahead?"_

 _Nahyuta simply smirked and winked playfully "I apologise, dear younger brother, but I shall not divulge my secrets."_

 _Both foster brothers, 24 and 26 years of age, just broke off into abrupt laughter. They laughed and laughed until their stomachs hurt and they had to stop before they died from laughter as they breathed in deeply to recover themselves afterwards. The pair inhaled and exhaled heavily to regain their composure from a minute or so ago, their shoulders heaved rhythmically with their breathing and all was calm._

 _Then Nahyuta spoke up again with concern threading through his words. "You are certain that things will not go awry during your absence?"_

 _Apollo looked back towards the rising sun and smiled "Positive. I hardly think that the kingdom will crumble without me..."_

 _That was what he was secretly hoping, anyways. It had taken a good long while since the team in Khura'in had mostly settled a good deal about the legal system and he had fears that during his absence that the whole entire thing would just fall apart like a feather duster brutally tearing up a carefully-woven spiders web. He seriously worried about it, yet he wouldn't tell his brother about that._

 _"What are you nincompoops discussing?"_

 _Both attorney and the prosecutor siblings reacted with shock and they simultaneously and swiftly turned to look over their shoulders to find the source of the new voice that they both recognised. The two almost gasped in shock at seeing the Royal priestess/queen-to-be stood right behind them with a unique gleam of confusion and perplexity in her eyes, even though it was anchored with a tight-lipped and stern frown._

 _Nahyuta didn't waste anytime in responding to his baby sister._

 _"We are simply having a nostalgic conversation, your benevolence, it's nothing to be concerned about."_

 _Apollo smiled coyly at Nahyuta and raised a brow at him, chuckling to himself internally._

 _After Rayfa and Nahyuta found out they were blood siblings, they still referred to one another as "Braid head" and Rayfa's formal title of "her benevolence", they may have tried to act nonchalant around one another but the sibling love they had for one another was very palpable, seriously, even the most oblivious of people could see it. It was obvious that Nahyuta was downplaying this to avoid upsetting Rayfa._

 _The attorney in red had to admit that he had a bit of a soft spot for Rayfa, too, (maybe because she reminded him of Trucy) and he would occasionally find himself tending to the rather spoiled princess. It was because he had a soft spot for her that he had to tell the truth._

 _"I'm planning on going back to America for a bit, Rayfa, that's all."_

 _One could probably hear Rayfa's heart break after Apollo had said those words. Her smug face sunk like a stone in water and she froze like a statue, probably letting his words sink in. Her mouth dropped open and her body shook like a wet chihuahua. The lawyer quickly wondered whether saying it all nonchalant like the he had was a wise idea considering._

 _After all she was...clingy in her own distant, independent and headstrong way._

 _Rayfa snapped out of her dumbstruck state and quickly reacted by rushing up to him with tears swelling inside of her eyes. She ran so fast that Apollo hardly even blinked before she was directly in front of him and Nahyuta and she didn't waste time, either, when she raised her prized staff and whacked it atop Apollo's head, earning a loud yelp of pain from him and a jingly sound from the instrument._

 _"Ow!"_

 _Both Polly's arms flew up and he started to nurse his poor head. He pressed both hands against his head, hoping to massage the brand new lump on his head away. He wrenched open one eye in a small glare as he moaned through clenched his teeth. "Why'd you have to do that Rayfa?"_

 _Rayfa snapped and readjusted her staff and held it in a way as though she were about to swing a baseball bat, nonverbally threatening to hit him again, and her face reddened and her lower eyelid twitched crossly. "EXCUSE ME?!"_

 _Apollo felt fear strike his heart like a bolt of lightning when he instantly recognised his mistake and recoiled, frantically amending his statement to try and pacify the upset princess. "UH! I-I mean y-your m-m-merciful benevolence!"_

 _Nahyuta just sat by with his eyes closed and he wore a straight face, he looked to have almost been in a meditative state but the lawyer whom was just attacked simply suspected that his brother was too intimidated to intervene on his behalf, something that earned him a demonic scowl._

 _Rayfa seemed to calm down a tad and lowered her staff a bit but she didn't seem really to have been any happier about the news she had just received and her lower lip started to quiver in upset. But she still had a threatening air about her. "Now then, care to elaborate Horn-head?"_

 _Apollo felt almost afraid to repeat himself, afraid of getting hit again. But he knew that he had to inform Rayfa because she did sort of have a right to know now that she had stumbled upon his and Nahyuta's conversation just now and it wasn't like he could lie because (ironically) that was the one thing he was the worst at. He was supposed to detect lies not make them._

 _"I said I'm leaving Khura'in for awhile. I need to sort out some things in America and I have to-" He was abruptly interrupted when Rayfa suddenly broke down into sniffles and sobs right there on the spot, those tears from before returning and trailing down her reddened cheeks and she chewed at her lower lip. The Royal priestess hadn't looked so upset before as she gripped tightly to her staff, shaking._

 _Apollo lowered a hand from his bump, now feeling bad for the young girl. He hadn't expected this yet he never meant to make her cry either! Panic overrode his thoughts and he fumbled around in his mind for ideas on how to remedy this._

 _(Oooh no, what can I do?! How can I cheer her up, what can I do now?!)_

 _He paused when Rayfa held on tight to his scarlet red vest, gripping it tightly as she cried and pleaded. "P-Please don't leave, Horn-head! Y-You can't leave...! It won't be the s-s-same without you!"_

 _Dumbstruck, Apollo frowned in disbelief. He had known that Rayfa saw him as a big brother after Nahyuta and that she was rather worried about losing him, he also knew that her pride kept her from saying her true feelings and it was a trait that wasn't going away anytime soon._

 _He comfortingly (and rather awkwardly) gave Rayfa a pat on the head and smiled gently at the usually spoiled princess of Khura'in. "I will be back, your benevolence, you can be sure of that. I just got to go back to the United States for a little while...I need to come home and see my friends and my other family now that things are finally settling here, I promised them I'd visit,"_

 _Rayfa sniffled quietly, wiping away her own tears with her sleeve. It was hard to see the normally self-confident girl so distraught, it almost brought a tear to Apollo's eye._

 _But then Rayfa seemed to close her eyes for a second and breathe deeply to regain her bossy and cool-headed composure. When she reopened her bloodshot eyes, she tilted her head towards the right and gave a slight pompous scoff...she was trying to play it off like she didn't care but everyone knew the truth yet decided to spare the trouble of confronting the young princess about it. She cast her teary teal gaze to the ground underneath her feet and mumbled feebly with trepidation coating her words like ice._

 _"Alright...but you had better be back soon. Understood, you big pohlkunan?"_

 _Apollo nodded his head in agreement, causing his famous thorns of hair to dip slightly too, and then he proceeded to draw an X over the right side of his chest directly where his heart was. He could feel the strong pounding of his own heartbeat beneath his finger as he drew the X-shape with strong conviction and defiance of having the promise he was making break. He wasn't going to let it happen._

 _"You have my word. Besides, I'm sure that you, Ahlbi, Shah'do, and Datz could hold down the fort while I'm gone."_

 _"We shall but take care, Horn head, and be back soon."_

* * *

Apollo was now on his feet running like a madman with his legs seriously starting to ache and his heart leaping inside of his chest. He had unboarded the plane hours ago and he was so excited that he basically dashed right out of the airport as soon as he was allowed to because he so anxious to arrive at his destination and now here he was, blazing through the streets with his body going through such an adrenaline rush.

He could feel his bracelet squeeze his arm a bit due to how much he was sweating.

But he couldn't believe it, he was almost there!

He was getting closer to the agency. He had a family there that he longed to see and even though most of them weren't related to him by blood they meant the whole world to him even though he'd preferably let that secret die along with him should he ever kick the bucket.

He knew the route so well that he pretty much memorized the way, his legs moved involuntarily and he had a well-maintained grip on his momentum.

His shoulders heaved with each and every breath he took to try and regain some oxygen to re-inflate his deflated yet powerful lungs, sweat gathered like storm clouds above his brows and pronounced forehead which had big veins pulsating from his skin from the huge physical strain that his whole body was enduring, all the moisture dripping down his face made his spiky bangs droop a bit. Each time his feet would drum against the ground he barely would have enough time before raising it up again to take another step, he was kicking up stones from the sidewalk he was running so fast.

Once or twice the attorney in red almost tripped over his own two feet.

His heart was absolutely pounding in his chest and he could feel his muscles strain, pull and scream in protest of his frantic dashing but that didn't matter to him —he had to get there! He didn't care if he sprained his knees anymore, heck he probably worn out his shoes by this point.

Although his heavy suitcase sort of slowed him down a bit.

The soles of his shoes squealed as he skidded to a sudden halt just a fair distance away from the Wright anything agency, the place he had considered his true home for a long time...even while he was in Khura'in.

There they were, stood by the entrance of the small apartment building.

Phoenix Wright, Trucy Wright, Athena Cykes, Maya Fey and her younger cousin, Pearl, Juniper Woods, Robin Newman, Hugh O'Connor, Myriam Scuttlebutt, Armie Buff (in person but holding her drone on her lap), Jinxie Tenma and her father -Mayor of Tenma town, Damian Tenma, and even Simon Blackquill, Klavier Gavin and chief prosecutor Edgeworth were in attendance.

They were all there...they were there waiting for him!

Apollo couldn't hold back a huge smile as he took in the view. The lawyer in red could have sworn that he felt his heart explode inside his own chest out of sheer happiness because they were all here to welcome him home!

The huge group had gathered at the bottom of the front steps and were staring at him smilingly with tears of emotion threatening to break through their own eyes.

He started to take a step but before he could even put his foot down on the ground completely, Trucy had completely lost all restraint and rushed fourth to make a mad dash forwards and ran towards him with her own beaming smile curling at the corners of her lips. The magician in blue ran as fast as her feet could carry her, she was running even faster than Apollo had been mere moments ago.

Apollo was left winded and bewildered when Trucy's body crashed against his own, sending him tumbling backwards and landing on the hard concrete. It made his suitcase fall to the ground.

The magician affectionately rubbed her forehead against his chest and cried huge tears of joy and her words were rendered into a mess of incoherent blubbering.

She couldn't talk straight in a full sentence she was so emotional!

He was caught even more off guard when Athena quickly followed and also tackled him to the ground, tears streaming down her face too as she buried her own face into the crook of his neck.

Seriously, what was it with people crashing into him?

Apollo couldn't help but smile to himself as he furled both of his arms around both girls in a tight hug and drew them close to his chest to try and calm them down from their hysterical sobbing of happiness. Even though he was sure his vest would get gross and covered in mucus after this he hardly even cared, he had missed both his co-workers like crazy and it was quite obvious that they felt the very same way.

And if that wasn't enough affection, there was more to come.

He didn't have enough time before he was quickly met with a kiss from Juniper Woods, a girl he had a slight crush on since he had helped assist her in two previous court cases, and he couldn't help but feel his heart jump as their lips connected. He melted into the passionate embrace as his eyes closed and he kissed her back. Since he had both Athena and Trucy wrapped in his arms, he couldn't really give anymore love right now but he found that the flower maiden's lips had called to him like the sweet song of an ocean siren.

Apollo could feel his heart doing backflips from joy.

He had just got home _and_ he had just received his first kiss!

( _Sweet holy mother, can this get anymore mushy and awesome!?_ ) He thought to himself. He quite honestly couldn't think of how this could get any better right now, and whence Junie parted her lips from his, he looked back up the stairs to see a certain spiky-haired man with eyes that were practically gleaming with total and absolute pride.

It took some effort but Athena and Trucy eventually pride themselves out of Apollo's arms, releasing themselves from a potential death grip, and backed off a bit so the spiky-fringed lawyer could regain his footing and stand back up again after they both knocked him to the ground quite viciously.

Apollo did climb to his own two feet and smiled eagerly at his old boss and stood still and silently, unsure of how to approach Phoenix after a year or so of not seeing him. He had an internal struggle of what to do without making the reunion totally awkward but he could feel all the cells in his body tug and pull, instincts alone telling him to go and hug him.

And he couldn't really ignore those instincts.

He couldn't help but let the tears flow down his face as he lost all control and got a running start and then practically crashed into his mentor in blue and threw his wobbling arms tight around his torso, finally letting his weakened legs buckle and falling to his knees. His body shook with sobs and his voice had become muffled while he hugged Phoenix so tight, he was pretty sure that he was going to snap the older lawyer's spinal cord. Whatever words he had intended to say that become jumbled in his throat —he couldn't even think of what to say clearly.

Of course, Phoenix seemed taken aback by this and Apollo couldn't blame him since he must have expected any greeting other than a hug like this. Apollo did feel a tad embarrassed that he lost all control like that but he couldn't really help it nor bring himself to care much at this point. He could not even let out an apology for the seriously cheesy greeting. It turned out that he didn't even need to say anything, as Phoenix placed a hand on top of Apollo's head. Then he said some words that made something click in the younger lawyer's mind, those words came out softly and in a calming and comforting murmur that made Apollo's heart constrict:

"Welcome home, Apollo."

Realization hit the young man clad in red like a train right then and there.

He didn't tell anyone but Apollo had always felt out of place in the world since he was little. He had been raised in the religious kingdom of Khura'in and then sent over and grew up in Los Angeles, America. He had never known the true feeling of belonging and had often asked himself the same question of _where?_ Where was his sanctuary, where was his home? It wasn't until now that he had found his answer:

He belonged as the former understudy of the legendary Phoenix Wright, and as the son of the legendary Dhurke Sahdmadhi. His home was in both the kingdom of Khura'in and in Los Angeles America.

He was an ace attorney and he was home.

* * *

 **A/N: HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE! Here is another AA one-shot and it includes a hint of one of my fave couples, and its centered on my fave AA characters of all time. It took awhile for me to write and I'm in the process of writing others and things have been a tad hectic so sorry that I'm not uploading as often as I'd like to and this is one of my longest one-shots ever, how awesome is that?**

 **I hope that you guys like this fic filled with Apollo fluffiness.**

 **Please don't forget to review, fave and follow and I hope you have a great Easter Sunday.**

 **WHOOOO!**

 **-Chloemcg**


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